Fairy Tale Princess
by Anonymi Black
Summary: This story is about a girl using her logic and knowledge of fairy tales to marry the man of her choice
1. The Beginning

Chapter 1

It was a cold afternoon in the small English castle. I could never understand why mornings and nights were so cold and the middle of the day was so hot. I grabbed a shawl from my closet and headed to the common room of my bedroom. I opened the door slowly and as it creaked I saw a sight worse than death. Prince William was sitting down at my table. I greeted him politely and sat down for breakfast.

Prince William was my betrothed and a terrible nuisance. He was dull, unintelligent, and more arrogant than Narcissus himself. He was father's favorite of all the princes he looked at because he had been a warrior and had supposedly been the most intelligent of the bunch but that was a load of malarkey.

The man I was most impressed with was Prince David. He was handsome, charming, intelligent, interesting and there will never be enough words to describe how wonderful he is. He was better than Prince Charming you read about in all of the fairy tales. But he wasn't sitting across from me.

Father wanted me to eat breakfasts with William so I could get to know him and become good friends with him since the decree was he is to be my husband. William was a total barbarian at the table and in the world. He refused to use a fork to eat the eggs in front of him. He had no manners. Every time I tried to talk to him he would reply with the freshest food in his mouth while trying to answer.

After an hour of this torture I bid him farewell so I could get ready for my younger sister's betrothal ceremony. She was one of those girls that thought fairy tales were boring little stories that only children should indulge in. Her name was Beatrice and she was as dull as mud but not as dull as William. She would be in love with whomever father picked for her. She was the kind of woman any man would want. She was the perfect example of a Cinderella. No guts to stand up for her self or else no wits to see that what is going on in her life is wrong. Cinderella had to work and work and my sister just agrees to the men's biddings.

I have two other sisters who are better off then her. They are seeing with me that William is not a worthy man and have convinced father that they should help in choosing their husbands. I'm so proud that Sarah and Katherine are not as empty headed and fearful as Beatrice is.

After about two tedious hours of having my hair done and being asked which colors I think would be the best to wear I was ready to go and see Beatrice be promised to some arrogant foreign prince. If she wants to be betrothed then she deserves to end up with some fool like I did. My maid, Rotrude, took me from my chamber to the main hall of the castle where the betrothal agreement would be mapped and bound.

When I got down to the hall Sarah and Katherine were waiting with their blonde hair brushed and curled for the occasion. William was waiting to greet me as I descended down the stairs in a velvet green dress. When I reached the bottom he took my hand and kissed it. I winced slightly. Then he whispered into my ear, "My dear Celestria, your brown hair is so beautiful up in those braids amongst the straight hair. Tis sheer vanity to see you and think that we are such a beautiful couple." I stepped on his foot. "I'm sure you did not mean to do that seeing as I am the one you will marry and are in love with. If I were a young girl I would be jealous of you for getting the privilege of marrying me."

"I don't love you" I snapped at him coldly. I sat there listening to him go on and on about himself and how we are the cutest couple and I'm so lucky to have him. I had to escape. There had to be some way to get away from him. I ran through my options and finally decided that as soon as I heard whom my sister was going to marry I would say I felt too faint to see him today and then pretend to pass out. I already felt like I could faint wearing a corset made of the hardest whalebone. It supposedly helped me to look more attractive.

As soon as I was seated the ceremony began. My sister walked in with her future husband whom I recognized. It was a young prince my father looked over for me. His name was Henry. Henry was a smart boy and a fairly good man. I had no doubt that he was the perfect man for any woman he would have chosen to marry except me.

Now that I knew who my sister's groom was I could say I felt faint. I turned and looked behind me and instead of William was for some reason my father. He took my hand and said into my ear softly, "I must talk to you. Come to my room after you eat dinner." And before I could utter a word his Highness had made it back to his throne and was watching again.


	2. The Meeting

Chapter 2

I understood the message father was trying to portray in those few brief words. The holding of the hand was a sign to tell me that the discussion was to be really involved and important for me to be a part of. The words "after dinner" meant that he wanted to talk as the town dined at my sister's feast. He was sending a clear message that I was more than willing to accept. Anything to get away from Beatrice, William, and too many toasts to the newly betrothed couple.

I asked my maid to get me into my nightgown before she went down to dine at the feast. She told me that since I had told her I wasn't feeling well, I should get some rest so that I could recover quickly. I was glad to be out of the corset and as soon as she left the room I left to father's room through the secret passage way. This was so I wouldn't get caught not supporting my sister when I was faking sick.

I made my way to father's room and I felt a sort of nervousness as I opened the hidden door to see him. The door creaked open and before me sat my father at his common room table. In front of him were two cups of tea and a small kettle. I walked over and sat in the chair across from him.

Father was unusually pale tonight and looked almost as though he were dead. He was usually a strong man with the most golden blonde hair one had ever seen. Tonight he looked as though his hair was the only bright thing about him. He coughed violently as I sat down.

Father started speaking slowly with a very weak voice, "My beloved daughter Celestria. I must tell you now that I am dying. My body is growing weak and my days are getting colder. But we're here to talk about you. I have heard you are upset with William and I am willing to give you a chance to prove to me that I should break off your engagement. If you convince me then you can try to convince him and his family. But until the issue of breaking the engagement is settled you will not be married. Please tell me why you do not wish to marry William?"

I was shocked at the opportunity to tell my father how I felt, "I wish not to marry William because I have an extreme distain for him and I love another. I love another named Prince David who you passed over for the right. I know that if I marry William I will not be happy like all the princesses have in all the good fairy tales. I wish to have a happily ever after and not a glum ending to a beautiful story."

"I, as your father, wish for you to be happy. I want you to get your happily ever after as you phrase it because I do not wish for you to live like a slave to your father's will but to be as happy as your mother. May she rest in peace. She was the woman of my dreams and she loved me so much. I know that you will take my place when I die and that with William you will be unable to rule. I will talk to them tomorrow to call the engagement off. Until then, my little angel, get some rest."

With that note I left Father's room and went to my own. I sat down at the mirror and began to brush out my long brown hair. I gazed deeply into the green eyes I had that were so much like Mother's. I looked at the painting of her hanging on my wall. I looked so much like her. I missed her

I left my vanity and got out my book of fairy tales. My father got it for me for my birthday less then a year ago. I was so glad that he was willing to spend that money on that book. Father told me that he had the finest nun at the St. Peter's Convent copy down the words. The book was worth a fortune and it was one of about ten in the entire castle.

The other books in the house used to belong to my mother. They were used to teach all of her girls. My mother always thought that women should not be empty-headed drones. She was displeased with Beatrice all the time. Beatrice didn't want to learn from Mother at all.

I read the story of Sleeping Beauty. It was so pretty. I always love the part when she was kissed to be awoken from her deep slumber. I wondered what I would have done if I were her or her mother. The ideas kept buzzing in my head until finally I was asleep dreaming about them.


	3. Piquet with Beatrice

Chapter 3

It was a few days later and I was waiting for my sister, Beatrice, to finish dealing out the cards. We were playing my favorite game. Piquet.

"Blank," I said when I got my twelve cards, "Eight cards please. Why do you want to be married so bad?"

"Your points," She said as she added points to my score, "Because I want a man to take care of me."

"Father already is a man who takes care of you," I started counting up my cards, "51."

"I know but I'm a burden to him so I should marry so that I am not a burden. 21," She added more points.

"But shouldn't you marry for love and not just because some one tells you to. Don't you want a happily ever after with the man you love? Run of five,"

"Run of three. But I'm happy doing things this way. I do want to love my husband but I feel that whomever father picks for me is suitable for me. I trust father has betrothed me with some on who will make me happy and love me," she added my points, " Wouldn't he do that for his own daughter and judge the man I marry correctly and not leave me with some man all wrong for me? I trust father and I'm glad it is this way."

I looked at her for a second. She was truly sincere. She was that kind of woman who would easily subdue to a man's will and would make a great wife. I have no doubt that she will be happy that way. So why am I trying to encourage her to find her true love? Just call me the Fairy Tale Princess.

" So now that you are getting married how would you get rid of men who are trying to become close to you who are not your betrothed. Set of 4 in Aces. That makes a repique."

"I would tell them that I am going to marry this man and to go away because they are not him."

"So what if they tried to say that you should marry them instead of your chosen husband."

"I'd tell them that the king has chosen my husband for me and that they would have to change my father's mind. Can you play down your first card?"

I slammed down an ace, "Well that doesn't help me."

She played down a number and I took the cards. She then looked at me and said, "Why are you so against betrothals?"

I played down another ace, "Because to be betrothed is to not have the chance to find your true love as all the fairy tales go."

She played down another number, "Why do you cling so much to fairy tales? They are just silly stories for children to teach them how to behave. They are not meant to be a lesson on how to live your life but a lesson on manners and how you should treat one another."

I placed all my cards on the table and said, "Excuse me but you mean to say that the way Mother lived her life was wrong? That she lived in a child's world. She stayed with fairy tales all of her life. She was able to recite them to me and she . . . she . . ." I started sobbing at this moment, "She shared these with me as precious treasures on the night she died."

Beatrice took my cards and hers and said, "Do you like me at all? Am I a criminal? Do you think I'm a villain?"

"No, I love you. I just . . . I just . . . don't agree with the way you handle your life. I believe in fairy tales. I believe in finding love. I believe in living happily ever after but I don't believe that letting myself marry some one I don't love to please my father is right. I've received permission with Father to attempt to break off my engagement so that I can marry the man I love."

"And who would that be? The milk man. No no the town tailor. No even better. You love the town beggar. No wait . . ."

I slapped my sister across the face and said, "It is David and you will never talk to me like that again." I ran up to my room. I opened my book of fairy tales. I couldn't read it though. I kept crying about how my sister treated me. I knew that I would get in trouble but I didn't care. Why did she have to say such things about fairy tales and myself?


	4. The Punishment

Chapter 4

That evening Father told his guards to bring me to his chambers. He had heard about the way I treated Beatrice and I knew I was going to be punished. I didn't hate my sister. But I couldn't stand the things she was saying. I just can't hear a person speak ill of fairy tales.

I walked into his chambers and saw him lying on his bed. I walked up to the side of his bed when he said, "Celestria. Why did you hurt your sister?"

"I hurt her because of her disrespect to me and Mother."

"Did she cause any violence to you?"

"Only with her sharp tongue and ancient logic."

"Be very cautious about your actions. I have the appropriate punishment." He coughed a little.

"What is the punishment?"

"My dear daughter, Celestria, Your punishment is . . ." and he didn't say anything else.

"Father please speak to me." But he didn't say another word. He died just before punishing me. He left me in charge of his entire kingdom. I didn't get to say good-bye to him and it would be harder then ever to break the betrothal. Why did he have to die?

I sat down next to Father's body and held his hand. I was praying that he would come back but he didn't. In a few hours his body was taken down to the Mausoleum. I watched them take him out of his room and was reluctant to go any further. I couldn't stay behind though because I was to take his place.

Upon returning from the Mausoleum, I went up to father's room to just see what it was like to be in the king's quarters. When I got in his room all of my things were sitting in there waiting for me. As I passed every servant they said, "Good evenin' your Highness."

I got into the bed and started reading a letter left on the side table. It was a letter from my father. It read,

"My dear Daughters,

I regret leaving you alone in this world. But do not fear. You

can take care of this kingdom. You are great women and I know no person

can run it better than you. Do not be afraid of what is to come.

No one knows what the future holds except that one must die.

Do not be afraid of death. For in death you will join me and we

will live together. Remember always that the you may not always

get along or agree. Treat your sisters like the little

flowers they are. Remember that they are precious and that they have

minds of there own.

Love,

King John."

I read the letter realizing that I could take the throne. Some of the words in the

letter seemed directed toward me specifically. I was now ready to take responsibility for the kingdom and rule it justly and fairly. I would never hurt any one again.


	5. The First Day as Queen

Chapter 5

The next morning I awoke with Rotrude shaking my shoulder. I sat up and Rotrude pulled me to my vanity. She let me sort of relax and sleep as she braided my hair to be completely up. They picked out a dark purple dress for me to wear. I couldn't believe my father was dead. I was to be crowned this evening. Advisors would help me rule until I could handle it on my own.

I was wearing purple for the first time. I was going to talk to the kingdom for the first time to make my first royal announcement. Rotrude helped me down the hall and to the balcony where all royal announcements are made that are not formal enough for a banquet or a ball.

I was nervous getting up and speaking to the people. Shaking slightly I began to say, "My dear people, I have dreadful news for us all. The king passed on last night. Tonight will be the coronation of your new queen, which would be myself. This morning I wish to decree as a morning or mourning." As I walked off the platform silence followed me out.

The halls of the castle seemed dimmer as I walked through them. I soon reached the throne room. I entered the room quietly. When I arrived there were ten advisors waiting for me. But they weren't supposed to be there.

I turned to them and asked, "Why are you here?" They shuffled their weight but none of them spoke. They appeared to be in shock at my question as though they were supposed to be there and I was being a total imbecile.

Finally on spoke up and said, "We are supposed to be here to start your training to be a fair and just ruler."

With tears welling up in my eyes I said, "Can you not mourn the dead for a morning and then come and teach me in the ways of being a ruler or does this teaching process require my attention now and every second until I take the throne."

They bowed and left except one stayed back for a second to say, "We apologize for the intrusion. Contact us when you want us to come teach you."

The room grew cold and drafty. I looked about the spacious room. On the floor about three feet away from me was a small scroll. I walked toward it and picked it up being very careful not to rip the scroll. I opened the scroll gently and it read about the legend of my parents. It was practically a fairy tale. But I didn't have time to read it then so I slipped it into my pocket and left the throne room.


End file.
